Water-still.



C. D. CRANE.

WATER STILL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15. m4.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

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CALVIN D. CRANE, F DAYTON, OHIO.

. WATER-swim.

Specification of Letters Patent; Pate ted Sept. 21, 1915.

Application filed April 15, 1914. Serial No. 831,934.

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CALVIN D. CRANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Water-Stills,

, of which the following is a specification.

delineated.

My invention relates to the boiling, condensing, water feed regulating and condensation collecting devices of water stills, and has for its obj ect'to-very materially increase the rapidity of operation ofthe still and the output thereof, in the form of water of condensation, in proportion to the time and heat expended; thereby greatly increasing the convenience of use, in respect of time and attention required, and greatly decreasing the cost of fuel and of the distilled water produced. p

With such object in view the invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In order to make the invention more clearly understood I have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical eifect, without limiting my improvements,,in their useful applications, to the particular constructions which, for the purpose of example, I have Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, on

line IIIIII of Fig. 1, the bottom of the inner water compartment being thereby cut out to better show the central collecting device or gutter for the water of condensation.

.Fig. 4 is a plan view of the separable cold water feed device. Fig. 5 is a side view of the same, the attaching clamp being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the still, when constructed in cylindrical form. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the cap of the condensation receiver. plan View ,of the separable handle of the same.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the boiler forming the base of the water still and adapted to be set on any suitable heater, which is ordinarily a domestic stove, range,

Fig. 8 is a gas stove or vapor fuel stove. The bottom I of the boiler is formed with external heatcollecting spaces 2 which are inclosed by vertical walls 3. This construction may be produced by forming the bottom sheet metal plate as shown in Fig. 2 and applying it to the vertical walls of the boiler so that they close the ends of the'spaces 2. The bottom plate is then preferably riveted to the said boiler walls and all seams sealed by soldering. In the form of still shown in Fig. 6 the external spaces are formed by inverted cups 2' which are fitted over holes cut in the bottom plate and are riveted and soldered to thelatter. The boiler is provided with a wastew'ay 4 which leads up from below the normal level of the water in the boiler and communicates with a Y-pipe, or three-Way pipe, 4, one of the branches 5 of which is p p a f I Just screwed into or attached to the boiler. above the level of the water the wasteway 4 isformed with a small opening 6 which pre vents .any siphonicaction of the Y-pipe 4. While the wasteway 4 forms a water seal by which the escape of any steam from the boiler is prevented. Above the boiler is mounted. the condenser 7, which preferably fitstightly but separably within the top of.

the boiler. The condenser comprises an outer vertical surrounding Wall 8, within which is formed an outer cold water compartment 9 by means of an inwardly inclined condensing wall 10 and a bottom 11, the compartment 9 being thus formed of downwardly tapering form entirely around the still within'all four walls 8 thereof.

12 is an outwardly inclined condensing wall joined at its top to the wall 10 and forming, with a bottom 13, an inner warmer water compartment 14. The walls 10 and 12 form a condensing space 15 extending all around the still, narrow at its upper part andopen and communicating with the boiler at its lower part to receive the steam rising from the latter.

16 is a warmwater feed tube extending from the surface of the water in the inner warmer water compartment 14 down through the bottom 13 so as to communicate with the boiler 1.

17 is a guide of cylindrical form arranged within the boiler and fitting and held by friction on'the lower end of the tube 16.

a. cork, which is adjustable up and down on the rod 19 and held by friction thereon in its adjusted position. The normal level of the boiling water will be at the waste branch 5, and the float 18 will rest on said water as shown in Fig. 1, and the cork 20 will be held in an elevated position. If the water boils away in excess of the feed, hereinafter described, the fioat and cork will drop down and the latter will indicate to the eye that the feed of water to the compartment 14 must be slightly increased. I

21 is a condensation collecting device or gutter arranged around the lower end of the wall 10 of the condensing space 15 by which the water condensing and running down thereon will be collected, and from which said condensation is delivered by one or more openings or pipes 22 to a central collecting device or gutter 23. The latter is soldered to the .walls 8 of the condenser and is wide enough to collect the water which condenses and runs down on the outer sides of the wall 12. The gutter 23 pitches downward to an exit pipe 24 controlled by a stop cock 25. From the pipe 24 a tinned pipe 26 leads to and is connected with a receiver 27 for the distilled water. Thisreceiver is pro vided with a separable screw or other cap 28 (Fig. 7) in the top of which is an opening 29 into which the bottom end of the tube 26 is introduced, as shown in Fig. 1. The opening 29 is fitted with a sliding cover 30 by which the opening may be closed after the receiver 27 has been removed.

31 is a pouring spout attached to the top of the cap 28, and having its base closed against dust or lint by a gauze or strainer 32.

33 is a separable handle by which the receiver 27 may be manipulated in removing the receiver and in pouring distilled water from it for use. This receiver is preferably of glass, and the said separable handle comprises a lower ring 34 which fits around the body of the receiver, a vertical member 35 attached to the lower ring and an upper resilient ring 36 which is split at 37 so that it may fit around the receiver under or belowthe cap 28. The member 35 is surrounded by a split tube 38 which may be slid over the thin sheet metal member 35 and partially rotated so as to be retained thereon and form a hand grip.

39 is awasteway from the surface of the water in the outer compartment 9 consisting of a pipe screwed into or attached to the wall 8 and having its outer end turned downward, preferably in line with the branch 10 of the Y-pipe 4, with which branch the wasteway 39 is connected by a rubber tube 41. The entire waste from the still, including the considerable volume of water from the cold water compartment 9 and the slight incidental waste of boiling water which may flow from the boiler wasteway 4, are conducted away to a sink or drain by the branch 42 of the said Y-pipe.

It is important that the cold water compartment 9, in which the water is to be kept as cold as possible, be kept separate from the inner compartment 14 in which the water, in performing its cooling and condensing function, is somewhat warmed, so that the two bodies of water do not mingle. Of the said warmer water in the compart ment 14 the colder water is in the bottom of the compartment and the warmest part of the water rises to the top and is conducted gradually, according to the requirements of the boiler, down to the latter through the feed tube 16, the water entering the tube through the openings 53 (Fig. 1). It is therefore necessary, to effect the described operation of the still, to feed cold water in separate amounts and streams to the said separated compartments 9 and 14:, to provide independent means for regulating the said separate streams of water. The preferred means for this purpose is as follows: 43 is a water pipe separably attached to the condenserby a releasable clamp 44. This pipe has a branch or nipple 45 to which may be attached a rubber or other pipe leading from a source of cold water supply. 46 is a cold water delivery branch of the pipe 43, controlled by a valve or stopcock &7, and delivering into the inner water compartment 14, being extended across the condensing compartment or space 15. 4L8 is a separate cold water delivery branch of the pipe 43, controlled by a valve or stop cook 49 and arranged to deliver a considerable stream of cold water, ordinarily as much as can be carried ofi" by the wasteway 39, to the outer cold water compartment 9 (Figs. 1, 4 and 5).

In the use of the still the valve 47 is regulated so as to deliver substantially as much water as will be boiled away, so that as little boiling water as possible will pass out from the boiler by the wasteway l. When the water supply has been regulated as above described this improved still will produce, according to my experiments, at least twice as much distilled water in a given time as will the usual domestic, or so called sanitary water still, with no greater expenditure of fuel. 7

In the condensing space 15 most of the steam rising from the boiler will be rondensed upon the walls 10 and 12, and prar tically no steam, under ordinary conditions, rises into the narrow upper end of the rondensing space. But some gases from organic or other matter in the boiled water will rise into this narrow part of the condensing space, and I provide for the escape of such gasesth-rough narrow 'slits 50 opening from the top of the condensing chamber at one or more points, which slits or openings are overhung and protected by caps 51.

The branches 40 and 5 of the waste Y-pipe 4 join at a point sufliciently below the wasteway 4, so that the water from the wasteway 39 cannot or will not back-flow into the boiler.

The rectangular form of still, as best shown in Fig. 3, is of greater steaming and condensing capacity than a round still which would occupy the same room on a stove, and can be placed over two holes or burners at the back of the stove so as to leave the rest of the stove top free for cooking. Also the heat-confining bottom, as shown in Fig. 2, can be very cheaply manufactured if of rectangular plan and combined with the side walls of the boiler.

The ,pipes 40, 42 are kept full of water, by overflow from the outer cold water chamber, it being always desired to pass as much ,cold water throughthis chamber and the :said pipes as the pipes will carry away. If

the adjustment of the.infiow into the middle warmer water chamber could beregulated to correspond exactly with the boilingaway of the water, then there would be no outflow' from the boiler by way of the pipes 4 and 5,, But it may not be practically possible to make this regulation exact, and therefore the aim is usually to let just a little more water flow into the middle chamher by means of the pipe 46 than is constantly .boiled away. Thus there will be a very slight outflow of hot'water by the pipes 4 and 5, which passes away together with the overflow of cold water through the pipe 39. Now if there were no hole 6 at the top of the pipe 4 the boiling water would be siphoned down to the level of the bottom of the pipe 4. This aperture 6 is very small but itprevents such siphoning. But the pipes 40 and 42 being as full of water as they "can accommodate, and the steam being lighter than this water, and being unable to displace it, the steam will not be exhausted from the boiler.

The sliding cork is usually regulated as to its position, when the machine is set up, VVhen' the machine is being transported the cork is ordinarily slid down against. the top of the pipe 16, the float 18 being drawn up to the top of this chamber so that the float is kept from rattling: When the still starts in operation with the float at its normal level the cork 20 is adjusted to some usual and relatively high position, such as'is shown in Fig. 1. If the water should boil away the 'cork 20 would drop to about the level of the tops of the reservoirs. This would be an unusual position and' attention would be called to the fact that the feed of the water by the pipe 46 was insuificient. The top line of the still takes the place for practical purposes of a vertical standard or gage.

What I claim is 1. In a water still, the combination of a boiler, a condenser above the boiler com-.

dependently regulating the feed of water.

through the said independent water feeding devices, a wasteway leading from one of the water compartments, and a ,warm water feed leading from the other water compartment to the boiler substantially as specified.

2. In a water still, the combination of a boiler, a condenser above the boiler comprising an outer compartment for cold ,water, an mner compartment for warmer water and an intermediate condensing space communicating with the boiler, means for collecting the condensation from the walls of the said condensing space, a wasteway-leading from the outer cold water compartment, a warmer water feed leading from the surface of the inner water compartment to the boiler, in-

dependent cold water feed devices deliver ing separately to the said water compartments, and means for independently regulating the feed of cold water to the said compartments, the bodies of water in the said water compartments being kept separate; substantially as specified.

3. In a water still, the combination of a boiler, a condenser above the boiler comprising an outer compartment for cold water, an inner compartment for warmer water and an intermediate condensing space communicating with the boiler, means for collecting the condensation from the walls of the said condensing space, a wasteway leading from the outer cold water compartment, a warmer water feed tube leading from the surface of the inner water compartment to the boiler, a float within the boiler,

a stem leading from the said float through an inner compartment for Warmer water and an intermediate condensing space communicating with the boiler and tapering to a narrow upper end, gas-escape openings from the narrow upper end of the condensing space, means for collecting the condensation from the walls of the said condensing space,

' tity partment and thence to the Waterway,

a wasteway from the outer water compart ment, means for feeding a small quantity of cold water to the inner water compartment and means for freely feeding a larger quanof cold water to the outerwater corlnt 1e bodies of water in the said Water compartments being kept separate; substantially as specified. v

5. In a water still, the combination of a boiler, a condenser directly above the boiler comprising an outer compartment for cold water, an inner compartment for warmer water and an intermediate condensing space communicating with the boiler, means for collecting the Water of condensation, a waste- Way from the outer water compartment, a. separable Water feeding device having a de livery for the inner compartment and a separate delivery for the outer compartment and separately regulatable valves for said two deliveries; substantially as set forth.

6. In a water still, he combination of a condenser and a boiler below the same, the said condenser comprising separated compartments one for cold water and one for warmer water, each compartment having an independent cold water feed and the compartment for Warmer water communicating with the boiler, and an intermediate con- (lensing space above the boiler and at the under side of said water compartments, the bottom of the boiler being formed with transverse walls forming heat collecting spaces 2, the ends of the said spaces being inclosed by vertical walls 3 forming continuations of the boiler Walls; substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CALVIN D. CRANE.

Witnesses: 1

N. CURTIS LAMMOND, H. N.'L0w. 

